Editorial News/Press Release
June 24, 2013
The Wolf Wranglers - Where Are They Now?
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If the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project is to ever receive the credit and accolades it honestly deserves, it's recognition surely won't have anything to do with being a shining new chapter in the annals of wildlife conservation in America. The residents of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, who have had to live with the disastrous introduction of an entirely non-native wolf, in lieu of a ready source of the native sub-species for true "reintroduction", now fully realize that the project had absolutely nothing to do with wildlife conservation. They also fully realize that the forced introduction of those wolves by the federal government has not resulted in one positive benefit to insuring the health of the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Area ecosystem.
The true accreditation of the western wolf "recovery" project will not be one of praise, except for likely being the greatest act of fraud ever against the citizens of the United States - by the United States government. The orchestrator of this crime, which has now cost the residents of the Northern Rockies billions of dollars, has been the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - and along the way it has had many accomplices - quite a few of which have tended to totally disappear once sportsmen, ranchers, rural residents and others who derive a living from the land or recreate outdoors began to push back - and to become very vocal in opposition.
(Photo Above Right - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is one of several federal agencies that have heavily armed themselves. How's your supply of arms and ammo?)
It began with the passing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, and the unprecedented powers that legislation bestowed upon the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In essence, the agency became the Gestapo of wildlife management, with the authority to seize private lands, to close off public access to public lands, to dictate the use of the land, and to shut down any operation they deemed detrimental to perpetuating a species of fauna or foliage. To support the exercise of that federal power, numerous "environmental" groups and movements began to pop up like mushrooms everywhere, opening the door to the greatest bank robbery of federal funds in history. All of the U.S. taxpayer dollars that flowed into the coffers of organizations like the Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and dozens of others gave a whole new meaning to the coined term "The Green Movement".
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To accomplish the takeover of wildlife and wildlife habitat, the USFWS began weaving alliances with state wildlife agencies, new wave wildlife biologists and managers, universities, and elected officials. They all began to sing from the same hymnal, and in short order the "green movement" reared its ugly head, and began whaling about the loss of wildlife and the destruction of habitat - and the need to "re-balance" the ecosystem. Other than their meddling, the followers of these groups had never supported any of the wildlife conservation efforts already in effect, which had brought big game populations back from the brink of extinction to record numbers, to where upland game numbers were likewise at record levels, and waterfowl populations were flourishing. These conservation efforts had been totally financed by sportsmen - not by environmental theorists and academics.
Two early endangered species conservation efforts of the USFWS centered on the grizzly bear and the gray wolf. While burgeoning grizzly numbers in the Northern Rockies are now proving problematic, the gray wolf recovery project, now spreading into all of the U.S. Northwest, is currently totally out of control. That project is also the one the that is now known to be thoroughly riddled with lies, deceit, theft and graft. It is also rife with manipulated and false science.
(Photo Above Left - Two of the USFWS's favored endangered species. Which of the two looks more endangered to you?)
One of the early USFWS accomplices, to help justify the agency's intent to transport wolves from north central Alberta, Canada to the Greater Yellowstone Area, was Dr. Robert Ream, of the University of Montana at Missoula. He headed the school's Wolf Ecology Project, beginning in 1972. The goal of that project was to determine whether or not native wolves (Canis lupus irremotus) still existed in the state, and if reproduction had taken place. Following 15 years of "in the field" investigation, expending taxpayer dollars, Ream concluded native wolves did not exist - despite more than 400 reports of sightings, wolf sign evidence, and even a few wolves that were killed during this period. Several former state and federal wildlife biologist accuse Ream of falsely establishing that native wolves no longer existed.
Earlier this year, Bob Ream (shown at right) was reappointed to the MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, but immediately retired when faced with a State Senate confirmation hearing. Several sportsmen groups in the state feel he was afraid that he would be asked wolf project questions he could not answer truthfully. So, where is Bob Ream now? Seems he has gotten very quiet, and keeps out of the wolf limelight.
During the late 1980's, Ed Bangs took the reins as coordinator of the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project, and directed the early capturing and transporting of Canadian wolves headed for the Greater Yellowstone Area in 1995 and 1996. During this period, USFWS was caught stealing between $45- and $60-million from the Pittman-Robertson Act funds, collected in the form of excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear - money that, by law, was earmarked to be used exclusively for wildlife habitat and fisheries restoration. One career USFWS biologist, special agent, and former division chief has stated many times that some of those stolen millions were used to finance the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project.
Souring the purity of that project even more has been the total absence of USFWS mandated paperwork for bringing wildlife across an international border into the U.S. Bangs did not file the Forms 3-177 that would have established something of a paper trail, indicating where those imported wolves came from, the subspecies of those wolves, how many wolves were in each shipment, and for that matter, the number of shipments. That missing paperwork would also establish what each of those shipments were costing the sportsmen of this county, since it was the money stolen from their contributions to the Pittman-Robertson funds that was being spent to import a non-indigenous wolf subspecies.
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Bangs (shown at left) also worked with the now very questionable "wolf experts" who compiled the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Plan and the 1994 Environmental Impact Statement for "The Project". When the false claims, predictions, and forecasts made by those experts in each of these official documents are compared to what has actually happened since the first release of non- native wolves into the Yellowstone area in 1995, it becomes extremely clear that those drafting those two documents were, at best, amateur wolf researchers or wolf scientists. One of those making up the "Team" who wrote the "Plan" was none other than Dr. Robert Ream.
During his 23 years as coordinator of the project, Ed Bangs was quoted many times making statements about wolf impact that, in the end, either revealed his ignorance about wolves, or the lies he was paid to spread. As residents grew angrier over the wildlife losses to wolves, and began to verbally attack those responsible, Bangs couldn't take the pressure and retired in June 2011. His absence among wildlife professional circles indicates he's gone into hiding.
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Just as guilty as any individual in this fraudulent criminal activity has been what has come to be referred to in the Northern Rockies as the "Dirty Bakers Dozen" of 13 environmental and animal rights groups that have worked hard to keep the wolf issue tied up in court, to prevent management or control hunts. Among them have been so-called "non-profit" groups or organizations such as the Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Humane Society of the United States. These organizations really don't have anything to do with wildlife conservation. Most are made up of environmental attorneys who have learned to make a good living by keeping the wolf issue tied up in court - without letting the truth get in their way. They simply allowed the lies of the USFWS, wolf researchers like Dr. Robert Ream, and "wolf expert" Ed Bangs support their agenda driven cause.
Still, it took just the right court and the right judge to always rule in their favor. The U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT definitely became their favorite play ground - and federal judge Donald Molloy (shown in his chambers above right) the best friend they could have sitting at the bench. For more than ten years, the "Dirty Bakers Dozen" filed lawsuit after lawsuit to circumvent the possibility of wolf hunts or control actions to prevent wolf numbers from continuing to grow, even though the phony recovery of non-native transplant wolves, which were never endangered in the first place, surpassed the "recovered population" that had been established in the two flawed official wolf documents compiled by the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Team and filed by the USFWS.
Over and over again, Molloy tended to totally ignore real wolf science from around the world, and ignored common sense even more, repeatedly ruling in favor of the collaborated efforts of the smiling environmental groups that showed up in front of him far too often. Those were big paydays for those groups. Over one six year period during the early to mid 2000's, such frivolous lawsuits netted some $4.7-billion in legal restitution to environmental groups, with the "Dirty Bakers Dozen" packing off their fair share.
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The sportsmen of Montana often wonder out loud what Molloy's cut of the take might have been. Totally fed up with the corruption taking place in that courtroom, those same angry sportsmen began showing up, with rifles and shotguns hanging in the windows of their pickups, to protest those hearings in Missoula. Like a frightened rabbit, Molloy retired and scurried deep into a protected briar patch. He has since become a recluse.
At almost every opportunity, those who claim to be pro-wolf, pro-predator or pro natural balance have looked to benefit either monetarily or politically from their efforts. Without fail, the subterfuge and cover up of the truth tends to catch up with them. Still in the crosshairs are several current and former governors, several U.S. Senators, a number of State Senators and Representatives, and especially state and federal wildlife agencies which continue to be far less than truthful about their agenda.
It has been a great spring in western Montana, with the ridges and valleys growing green with tall grasses. Unfortunately, as the summer sun grows hotter and the days drier, those waist high grasses will become an explosive tender box, and a dangerous fire season looms ahead. In the same light, as sportsmen and residents who just enjoy seeing elk, moose, deer and other big game come to the realization that the wolves, bears and lions have wiped out yet another generation wildlife, those who continue to support such game losses to predators had better prepare to face an ill wind that will be many times hotter.
Nowhere in the U.S. have Americans become more fed up with self-serving elected officials and government agencies than right here in the Northern Rockies. One thing is for certain, there is a correction coming. Are you prepared, are you on the right side? - Toby Bridges, LOBO WATCH
http://www.lobowatch.com/adminclient/WolfWar9/go
